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Feb 13, 2019

Philippines arrests journalist Maria Ressa on libel charge

MANILA: Philippine journalist Maria Ressa,
who has repeatedly clashed with President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested
in her Manila office on Wednesday (Feb 13) in what rights advocates
called an act of "persecution".

Her detention on a charge of "cyber libel" is a dramatic escalation in
the legal pressure bearing down on Ressa and her website Rappler, which
was already facing tax evasion charges that could shut it down.

It comes after Duterte has cracked down on high-profile critics in the
press and legislature who dared criticise his signature anti-drug
campaign that has killed thousands.

Later, Rappler announced in a tweet that Ressa would have to spend the
night at the National Bureau of Investigation, the unit which detained
her, as lawyers tried to find a court to post bail.

Ressa, who was named a Time Magazine "Person of the Year" in 2018 for
her journalistic work, left the Rappler offices with agents from the
National Bureau of Investigation and surrounded by cameras.

"The case is ridiculous and the fact that they issue an arrest warrant
is a travesty of justice," Ressa told journalists after her arrest.

"This is what journalists in the Philippines now have to go through," she added.

Rappler has drawn the administration's ire since publishing reports
critical of Duterte's so-called war on drugs that critics say has
targeted the poor and could amount to crimes against humanity.

"FORCIBLY SILENCE CRITICAL MEDIA"

However, the new case against Ressa and former Rappler reporter Reynaldo
Santos Jr stems from a 2012 report written about a businessman's
alleged ties to a then-judge on the nation's top court.

While investigators initially dismissed the businessman's 2017 complaint
about the article, the case was subsequently forwarded to prosecutors
for their consideration.

Philippine journalists immediately attacked the surprise serving of the warrant.

"The arrest of ... Ressa on the clearly manipulated charge of cyber
libel is a shameless act of persecution by a bully government," said the
National Union of Journalists' of the Philippines.

"The government ... now proves it will go to ridiculous lengths to forcibly silence critical media," it added.

Amnesty International also swiftly condemned the arrest as "brazenly politically motivated".

"In a country where justice takes years to obtain, we see the charges
against her being railroaded," the group said in a statement.

The Philippines tumbled six places last year in Reporters Without
Borders rankings of press freedom to 133rd out of 180, with the body
noting the government has pressured and silenced critics.

Duterte has lashed out at other critical media outfits, including the
Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper and broadcaster ABS-CBN.

He had threatened to go after their owners over alleged unpaid taxes or block the network's franchise renewal application.
Some of the drug crackdown's highest profile critics have wound up
behind bars, including Senator Leila de Lima, who was jailed on drug
charges she insists were fabricated to silence her.

Ressa insists the site is not anti-Duterte, saying it is just doing its job to hold the government to account.

The law that forms the foundation of the case takes aim at various online offences, including computer fraud and hacking.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the cases against Ressa had nothing to do with her work as a journalist.

"This has nothing to do with freedom of expression or the press," he
told broadcaster ABS-CBN. "Regardless of who commits any crime, he or
she will be charged in accordance with the law."

Justice secretary Menardo Guevarra told AFP Ressa could be released as soon as she pays a cash bail.

In the tax case, the government accuses Rappler Holdings, Ressa and the
site's accountant of failing to pay taxes on 2015 bond sales that it
alleges netted gains of 162.5 million pesos (US$3 million).

The Philippine justice system is notoriously overburdened and slow, with even minor cases taking years to be judged.